Senior Research Engineer (Physics Simulation)

About Phaidra Phaidra is building the future of industrial automation. The world today is filled with static, monolithic infrastructure. Factories, power plants, buildings, etc. operate the same they've operated for decades — because the controls programming is hard-coded. Thousands of lines of rules and heuristics that define how the machines interact with each other. The result of all this hard-coding is that facilities are frozen in time, unable to adapt to their environment while their performance slowly degrades. Phaidra creates AI-powered control systems for the industrial sector, enabling industrial facilities to automatically learn and improve over time. Specifically: We use reinforcement learning algorithms to provide this intelligence, converting raw sensor data into high-value actions and decisions.We focus on industrial applications, which tend to be well-sensorized with measurable KPIs — perfect for reinforcement learning.We enable domain experts (our users) to configure the AI control systems (i.e. agents) without writing code. They define what they want their AI agents to do, and we do it for them. Our team has a track record of applying AI to some of the toughest problems. From achieving superhuman performance with DeepMind's AlphaGo, to reducing the energy required to cool Google's Data Centers by 40%, we deeply understand AI and how to apply it in production for massive impact. Phaidra’s ability to achieve its mission is determined by our ability to work together — as defined by our core values: Agency, Velocity, Craft, and Truth. We seek individuals who embody these values, as they are instrumental in ensuring our team consistently delivers excellence and fosters an engaging and supportive culture Phaidra is based in the USA, but we are 100% remote with no physical office. We hire employees internationally with the help of our partner, OysterHR. Our team is currently located throughout the USA, Canada, UK, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, and India. Who You Are Phaidra is looking for a curious and pragmatic Research Engineer with a passion for physics and a knack for writing robust code. You will work within our research team to develop advanced physics-based simulators, with a particular focus on thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. These simulators are key to enabling intelligent control systems that optimize performance in industrial environments. You thrive at the intersection of science and engineering—able to translate complex physical systems into computational models and build tools that power cutting-edge AI systems. Responsibilities As a Research Engineer working on Physics Simulators, you will:Design and implement physics-based simulation models for thermodynamic and fluid systems.Translate governing equations and first-principles models into performant numerical code.Collaborate with AI researchers to integrate simulators with reinforcement learning agents and optimization pipelines.Validate simulators against real-world data and iterate to improve fidelity and stability.Be a power user and contributor to Phaidra's simulation and AI platform, enabling scalable, reusable experimentation.Document and communicate technical ideas clearly across teams. Key Qualifications 3-4 years of experience in research or applied engineering.Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Applied Physics, or related field.Strong understanding of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics and HVAC systems.Experience building simulation tools using numerical methods (e.g., finite difference, ODE/PDE solvers).Proficiency in Python and scientific computing libraries (e.g., NumPy, SciPy, SymPy, pandas).Familiarity with simulation or modeling frameworks (e.g., Modelica, OpenFOAM, COMSOL, EnergyPlus, or custom-built tools).Comfortable reading academic papers and implementing physics models from scratch.Share our company values: Agency, Velocity, Craft, Truth Preferred Skills & Experience Knowledge of controls and optimization techniques (e.g., PID, MPC, or RL).Experience with Modelica environments (e.g., OpenModelica, MapleSim, Dymola, Amesim, Modelon)Experience integrating simulation tools with machine learning workflows.Experience working with large-scale systems or infrastructure in energy, HVAC, or industrial automation. Familiarity with power systems is a plus.Familiarity with modern software engineering practices (Docker, Git, CI/CD). Our Stack Python, NumPy, SciPy, pandas, SymPyPyTorch, Ray, scikit-learnDocker, Kubernetes, TerraformGCP Onboarding In your first 30 days... You'll onboard into Phaidra's product and research ecosystem.You'll study our current modeling work, simulation tools, and customer use cases.You'll set up your environment and begin replicating existing physics models in code.By your first 60 days… You'll begin contributing to one or more simulator development projects.You'll work closely with researchers to define simulation specs and performance metrics.You'll review field data to inform model accuracy and validation criteria.By your first 90 days… You'll be actively developing, validating, and improving simulation modules.You'll have results from early experiments and have contributed code to core libraries.You'll be shaping the direction of simulator design and pushing the envelope of physics + AI integration. General Interview Process All of our interviews are held via Google Meet, and an active camera connection is required. Meeting with People Operations team member (30 minutes)Meeting with Hiring Manager (30 minutes)Modeling and Simulation Interview (90 minutes)HVAC Interview (45 minutes)Culture fit interview with Phaidra’s co-founders (30 minutes)We use Kula as our hiring platform. During your interview, Kula's AI Notetaker will record a transcript of the meeting to allow the interviewer to focus on the interview, not the note taking. Base Salary UK Residents: Tier 1 (London): 101,014 GBP - 168,356 GBPTier 2 (Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol): 95,072 GBP - 158,453 GBPTier 3 (Smaller cities / rural areas): 89,130 GBP - 148,550 GBP In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for equity. Final salary will be determined based on several factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, experience, expertise, education and location. In some cases, final compensation may fall outside the posted range. Salary ranges are regularly reviewed and may be adjusted in response to market trends.